TXVA Director Strives to Make a Real Difference

Amanda Rollert recently took on the new role as Director of Academics at Texas Virtual Academy (TXVA). With a genuine interest in her students’ success, she wanted a way to learn more about the school’s families. As a result, she started a monthly trivia contest for students, with each winner receiving a visit from Amanda and her dog Dewey, as well as a lunch date courtesy of Amanda. The idea came together by accident.

“I was making a video to talk to families, and Dewey was adamant about being in the video,” Amanda explained. “I could not get him to leave, so I introduced him. Afterward I received so many emails about Dewey. That is when the idea was born.”

Every month, two winners are chosen – one from grades 3-8 and the other from high school. The first contest took place last month. For October’s trivia question, she asked students the name of her dog. She then decided what number email (1st, 5th, 15th, etc.) with the correct answer would be the winner.

“I had one picnic over lunch with our high school winner, but by the time I got to our 3-8 winner’s home the same evening it was past supper, so we did shakes at the family’s home,” Amanda said.

As the trivia contest continues throughout the school year, Amanda will be doing a lot of traveling around the state of Texas. Her most recent drive to Lewisville was 4 ½ hours. Despite this, Amanda feels the trivia contest will be very rewarding in her journey as Director of Academics at TXVA. She plans to share all of her special memories with students in the school magazine, dedicating the first three pages to sharing the stories of these amazing students.

“When I am having a day full of decisions and adversity, I think of who it is that matters,” she said. “Every family has a story, and by looking into their students’ eyes and hearing the reasons why K12 makes a difference gives me the wings I need to keep pressing on toward our mission to transform learning for every student we serve.”